1. Left ventricular assist device as a bridge to patient and myocardial recovery.
- Author
-
Jaski BE, Lingle RJ, Reardon LC, and Dembitsky WP
- Subjects
- Exercise physiology, Heart Failure metabolism, Heart Failure surgery, Hemodynamics physiology, Humans, Neurosecretory Systems physiology, Quality of Life, Heart Failure physiopathology, Heart-Assist Devices, Recovery of Function physiology
- Abstract
This article reviews the effects of chronic left ventricular assist device implantation on functional changes in patients with end-stage heart disease. Functional recovery can be measured by using response to exercise, quality-of-life surveys, improvements in noncardiac organ function, or changes in metabolic and neurohormonal levels. Recovery in intrinsic function of the heart can be assessed by changes in cardiac pump function or in baseline histological or biochemical abnormalities. Improvements in all of these areas have been found, although many reported studies are limited by a small sample size from selected subsets of patients rather than consecutive series.
- Published
- 2000
- Full Text
- View/download PDF